The invention relates to a vehicle illumination assembly that may be attached to the bumper of a vehicle to illuminate the area around the vehicle and to visibly mark the width of the vehicle. The vehicle illumination assembly described herein provides a marker light on the top tip of a vertically extending guide member attached to a vehicle bumper. The top marker light allows the driver to visibly determine the width of the vehicle. The vehicle illumination assembly also provides a light source of sufficient power to illuminate the body of the vehicle and the regions to the side and rear of the vehicle. This light source is strong enough to provide a beam of light from the front of the vehicle to the region around the rear of the vehicle, or vice versa, depending upon the bumper to which the guide connects. The invention includes the option of connecting the invented vehicle illumination assembly to each side of a bumper to provide even more light at the option  of the user.
Providing light for a vehicle has been a common practice since the early days of automobile manufacture. Head-lights, fog lights, search lights, and other sources of illumination are common equipment on many different types of vehicles. For purposes of this disclosure, however, the field of vehicle illumination devices encompasses three broad groups: individual lamps added to various regions of a vehicle, light sources specifically added to the bumper of a vehicle, and bumper guides that provide only enough light to visibly mark the width of the vehicle.
As a preliminary matter, a search of the art shows that various types of lamps are available to attach to almost any region of a vehicle. Some of these lamps provide a lighting function, and some of the lamps are considered aesthetically pleasing additions to the vehicle. Vehicles are commonly equipped with auxiliary back-up lights, fog lights, or search lights attached to the vehicle and powered by the vehicle's own electrical system. U.S. Pat. No. 2,686,253, issued to Denard on Aug. 10, 1954, for example, shows a spotlight that may be conveniently carried in a rack on a vehicle, connected to the electrical power of a vehicle, and optionally turned on to illuminate a work  area or other region around the vehicle. Denard of course has the drawback of not being permanently located in a region of the vehicle that is convenient for use if the vehicle is moving. Denard '253 allows the user to unclip the spotlight and aim the light in a number of directions, but the light must be returned to its holder before moving the vehicle. Denard '253 is a work light for use when the vehicle is not in motion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,769,526, issued to Shaffer on Jun. 23, 1998, continues in the tradition of clipping a work light to a vehicle to illuminate an area around the vehicle. Shaffer provides a flood lamp with a power cord terminating in a plug that may be connected to the electrical system of a vehicle. Shaffer also uses a pair of pliar-like gripping jaws for the user to clamp the floodlight into a position on the vehicle. Shaffer does not show any type of light source that is remotely operable and continuously located in a convenient position on the vehicle. Shaffer '526 shows a light that will only be in use while the vehicle is stopped, and the light of the Shaffer invention must be manually clipped to a suitable position.
PCT Application by Brian N. Tuft, International Publication No. WO 03/049971 with a priority date of Nov. 16, 2001,  shows tubular, or at least elongated, light assemblies added along the side of various moving vehicles. The elongated lights may be added in rows along the side of a boat, a car, or even a long distance hauling truck. Tuft '971 is concerned mainly with illuminating the actual body of the vehicle, making the body more visible. The Tuft light source does not provide extra illumination of the region around the vehicle, as the drawings indicate that the Tuft '971 light source radiates upwardly and downwardly with just enough luminescence to increase vehicle visibility.
Another collection of previously issued patents show light attachments specifically to the bumper of vehicles. An early version of a bumper light attachment actually served as a headlight for a vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 1,760,327, issued to J. A. Thomas on May 27, 1930, shows a pilot headlight that shines outwardly from the front of the vehicle and is attached to the bumper of the car. This lighting system is basically an old fashioned headlight.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,965,801, issued to P. A. Gandillon on Jul. 10, 1934, shows various floodlights attached to bumpers of a vehicle to illuminate the vehicle for easier visibility by others. The Gandillon invention uses various screens on the  light fixture to ensure that only the vehicle body is illuminated. The lights of the Gandillon invention provide almost no illumination to the areas around the perimeter of the car. In particular, the Gandillon '801 patent is silent as to the illumination of the area behind a vehicle for better visibility when operating the car in dark areas in the reverse direction.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,401, issued to W. F. Shupe on Mar. 14, 1961, provides a light attachment that may be added temporarily to a towed car hauled by a towing car. The Shupe '401 patent adds safety lights to the bumper of the towed vehicle. The towed vehicle covers the lights on the rear of the towing vehicle, so the addition of lights as shown in Shupe '401 is useful to provide indications of breaking, turning, or hazards. The Shupe '401 patent provides no disclosure related to illuminating regions to the sides or rear of a vehicle with a brighter light with strong luminescent power.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,409,367, issued to Richard Pratt on Jun. 25, 2002, shows a system for coupling a warning light to a rear of a vehicle. The system includes a coupling bar for connecting the unit to a conventional tow bar deployed on the rear of a vehicle. The coupling bar allows for temporary  installation of a warning light that may be removed as necessary.
The patents showing lights attached to the bumper of a vehicle lack any disclosure of a permanently situated, optionally activated lighting system that can illuminate the region along and around the side of a vehicle. None of the patents cited to this point include light sources of sufficient luminescence to illuminate a region from one end of a vehicle to another. The patents are designed to illuminate the vehicle only for visibility by other drivers. The patents also fail to provide any insight into lighting systems that are remotely operable from within the vehicle while having sufficient luminescence to shed light beyond the length of the vehicle.
The last group of known lighting systems that are relevant here include specialized “bumper guide” attachments to vehicles, especially large vehicles like semi-trucks. Traditionally, a bumper guide is an elongated metal rod extending vertically from a truck bumper and includes a marker light at the tip of the rod. The bumper guide extends vertically, high enough so the driver of a large vehicle can see the upper tip of the guide. The marker on the upper tip indicates the width of the truck to the driver, so  the driver can properly maneuver the vehicle without hitting objects to the side. The upper tip might be a light covered by a colored lens, so the width of the truck or other vehicle will be known, even when driving in the dark.
The earliest bumper guide patent was issued to John F. Bores on Jan. 7, 1975 as U.S. Pat. No. 3,858,924. Bores '924 shows a rod-like attachment “adapted to be mounted on the ends of front bumpers of trucks for the purpose of permitting a truck operator to be fully aware of the exact positions of the ends of each bumper.” (See Bores '924 Abstract). Bores '924 includes an upstanding “standard” that is offset immediately above the bumper. The upper tip of the device includes a marker light in a lamp socket that indicates to the driver the location of the bumper guide.
The inventor herein has located various embodiments of the Bores bumper guide. The light element on the top of the bumper guide may comprise lenses of many shapes and sizes. Some of the marker lights are tubular in shape and extend several inches above the body of the guide. The inventor has also located bumper guides in the marketplace that include a lens assembly that runs the entire  length of the guide rod. These longer marker lights continue to mark only the width of the associated vehicle and provide little or no illumination otherwise.
A related type of bumper marker is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,285, issued to Stephen Robert Cooper on Dec. 21, 1976. As noted in the abstract of Cooper '285, the invention therein includes a parking guide attached to the back bumper of a vehicle. The parking guide includes a hollow, translucent guide rod, which is movable in response to a motor within a control box. The parking guide moves from a horizontal position of lying on the bumper to a vertically extended position, at the option of the user. A light within a control box illuminates the guide rod when the rod is in the vertical position. The light allows the driver to see the extended guide rods and indicates the locations of the corners of the vehicle. The marker is useful for parking a vehicle at night.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,313,104 issued to Edward Phillips on Jan. 26, 1982, shows a bumper guide similar to Bores '924 with an improved mounting. Phillips '104 includes an elongated tube member with a marker light at the top tip. Phillips, however, connects the guide rod by a breakaway hinge attaching the lower portion of the guide to the  bumper. The hinged mounting allows the bumper guide to be adjusted to a number of positions. The hinged mounting also prevents breakage because the hinged mounting allows the bumper guide to move instead of breaking off when the bumper guide scrapes an object next to the vehicle.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,955,577, issued to Ching on Sep. 11, 1990, shows a relatively recent bumper attachment. Ching '577 describes a detachable mounting assembly “adapted for location of fog lights and flag poles having light elements disposed at the top end thereof.” (See Abstract). The Ching '577 patent provides a cross bar that is temporarily attached to a vehicle under the front bumper and allows lights, flags, or other attachments to be attached to the crossbar. The crossbar may be removed when not in use.
All of the related lighting assemblies disclosed herein have functional limitations. The inventor discovered that none of the prior lighting apparatuses provide light all the way from one end of a vehicle to another end or beyond. The prior apparatuses fail to present a convenient structure that is permanently attached to the vehicle. The inventor herein discovered a lack of vehicle illumination devices  with a remotely controlled light source bright enough to illuminate a large area around and along the side of a vehicle or past the rear of the vehicle. The currently available sources of light around a vehicle are cumbersome to install and even less convenient to operate. The vehicle illumination apparatus described herein discloses a means to address these functional limitations of previous vehicle illumination systems.